Shaun Kenney | Politics and Religion in Virginia's Public Square


Wednesday, February 12, 2003 The universe is 13.7 billion years old, constantly expanding, and only 4% of it consists of atoms. So says NASA after accumulating one year's worth of data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. From that, astrophysicists could calculate the age of the universe with unprecedented precision. Earlier estimates had ranged from eight billion to 20 billion years, but in recent years they have narrowed to somewhere between 12 billion and 15 billion years. The new estimate of 13.7 billion years has a margin of error of only 1 per cent, compared to about 30 per cent for the best previous estimates. The data strongly confirm the prevailing Big Bang theory and allow researchers to test various versions of the 'inflation theory', which holds that, even before the universe was one second old, it had expanded dramatically. This has also enabled scientists to produce the most exact calculation ever of what the cosmos is made of today. It turns out that only 4 per cent of the universe is made up of atoms with known forces such as electromagnetism and gravity, the ordinary stuff that makes people, potatoes, porcelain and everything else that is known. About 23 per cent of the universe is made from mysterious unseen material dubbed 'dark matter' because scientists know so little about it. The rest - 73 per cent - is made up of yet another poorly understood force called 'dark energy'. posted by Shaun Kenney \| 2/12/2003 11:43:00 PM \| 0 comments 0 Comments: Post a Comment Home
	RedStormPAC $ JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General? 1) John Brownlee 2) Ken Cuccinelli View Results About ShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia. Contact E-mail RSS/Atom Feed The Jeffersoniad Archives March 2002 April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 April 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009